Louis and Tawny 2: The Gift of the Magi
by tdls
Summary: Louis and Tawny's first Christmas together. With acknowledgments to O. Henry. (Complete)
1. Chapter 1: Thanksgiving

Obvious disclaimer: I own neither Even Stevens nor "The Gift of the Magi." In fact I'm deeply indebted to the creators of both for the inspiration behind this story.

* * *

Louis walked over to Tawny's house on Thanksgiving night. He had trodden this path so many times before, yet he could feel the butterflies particularly strongly on this cold night. Tawny and her parents had invited him to dinner on Thanksgiving. Louis and his parents had in turn invited Tawny to dinner on the day after, as was fitting. All the same, it somehow felt strange to be going to Tawny's as the guest of honor, when of course all the honor was his.

Louis gave a knock on the front door. He didn't have to wait two seconds before Tawny emerged, an expression of such delightful affection on her face. She pulled Louis inside and into a heartfelt embrace, her warmth instantly taking away the cold. He then drew back and looked fondly at the wonderful, wonderful woman that he was so thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day.

* * *

"Mom, dad," Tawny said at the dinner table. "As always, I'm so thankful for you, your loving care, and all the support you've given me." She paused and turned to face Louis. "And this year, I'm so thankful for Louis. I'm so thankful to be in such a wonderful relationship with someone who loves me and cares about me so deeply. I feel his love every time we talk, hug, or just look into each other's eyes. And I feel so blessed by it."

Louis was transfixed by Tawny's loving words and her loving gaze. His heart stirred wildly, as it always did when Tawny expressed her love. It stirred with delight at her words, but also a sense of awe at how she pronounced them with such beauty and sincerity. It stirred with the urge to pour his heart out in return, to express his passionate love for her. But he knew that this wasn't the time or place, as the curious stiffness in his jaw reminded him. All he could do was return her loving gaze, pouring every ounce of affection that he could into it, making her feeling of being so loved come as true as possible.

Dr. Dean was studying Louis, in his own discreet way. He was studying him with the interest of a psychologist, but also with the fondness of a father. And it didn't take his PhD in psychology to tell what was going on. Louis, as transparently as ever, was burning with passion, his feelings written all over his face. This was clearly a different Louis from the one that prank called them pretending to be from "Who wants to be a millionaire," that was for certain.

"We're happy for you, Tawny," Dr. Dean just said. "We're happy for both of you."

* * *

Louis and Tawny walked to Louis's house after dinner had ended. Tawny had insisted on walking him back home, in spite of the cold. Or maybe because of the cold. She must have understood by now how much just being with her warmed him, and holding hands with her all the more so.

Louis thought again about what she had said to him at the dinner table, and his inability to say anything in return. He thought again about the thoughts he had been having lately, and his burning desire to do things for her. He glanced at her again. "Tawny," he finally said, breaking the silence. "Is there anything you would like for Christmas?"

Tawny stopped for a moment, clearly surprised by both the nature and the abruptness of the inquiry. Then she just chuckled. She now took both his hands in hers as they stood there on the sidewalk. "Louis," she said. "It's not even the day after Thanksgiving…" Louis looked down at the ground, slightly embarrassed.

Tawny was looking intently into Louis's eyes. He knew from the look that something was about to come. Something powerful and sincere, something that could come only from Tawny.

"Louis," she said, her voice now deeper and richer than it had been just a few moments ago. "You're the greatest gift I could have asked for this Christmas. You and your love. There's nothing more I could ask for."

Louis just stood there helplessly. Tawny could make him feel so special, yet so pathetic in a way. The ultimate confirmation of his feelings of inadequacy was that he had them at all, that he kept thinking of what to do for Tawny when his love was enough for her magnificent heart. He felt the urge to drop to his knees and look up at her, to show her how much he adored and worshipped her. But he knew that she wouldn't want him to. She wanted him nowhere but at eye level. Instead he now lifted his hand, gently and carefully, and just stroked her hair, with the care of touching something infinitely precious, making her lips widen into a magnificent smile.

Louis knew that the words now had to come, but still hesitated. "Tawny," he said. "It's getting cold." Tawny responded by taking the hand that had just stroked her hair back into the warmth of her palm.

"Tawny," Louis started again. "It's hard to put in words what a blessing you are to me…" Louis broke off momentarily, struggling to keep his emotions at bay. "When I first met you, I was just a no-good troublemaker. And you knew that. But then you became my friend. And you remained my friend no matter how many times I acted selfish and immature, no matter how many times I just took you for granted. But you also turned me into a better person, every time. You taught me to do the right thing, act more responsibly, and understand myself better than I ever could have on my own. You taught me to appreciate you so much, every time. And now I have your love, the most precious thing in the world. Now my life has a meaning that it never had before. I'm now your cherished soulmate, your loyal companion. I'm now someone who means so much to another someone, more than I could have ever imagined."

"Tawny," Louis said, the tears beginning to flow. "You're the greatest gift my life could have ever gotten. Thank you…so much."

Tawny took Louis in her arms. She squeezed him tightly, pouring every ounce of affection that she could into it, pouring back into Louis's heart what he had just poured out into hers. The two just stood there, locked in embrace, not feeling the cold one bit.


	2. Chapter 2: Thoughts

(Three weeks later)

Louis was joined at his locker by Twitty, who was looking more excited than usual. "Hey, Lou, I have the most awesome idea for a Christmas present for Allison," he said straight away. Twitty and Allison had gotten back together at the beginning of the school year, much to Louis's relief. This way, both he and Twitty could preoccupy themselves with their relationships, with neither of them feeling left out. The price of it all was, of course, that Louis's previous life of spending most of his time on outlandish schemes with Twitty was now over for good. They were still friends, of course, but they had both moved on to new things. And the relationship Louis now had with Tawny was something that he wouldn't give up for anything.

"Tell me about it, Twitty," Louis said, somewhat matter-of-factly. His thoughts about doing something for Tawny for Christmas had receded after Thanksgiving night, but they now inexorably clawed their way back into Louis's mind.

Louis looked blankly at Twitty as he recounted all the things he had planned for Allison. The details of it all really didn't matter to Louis. He was preoccupied with his own thoughts, trying to fight back the old demons trying to force their way back into his head, only to find that he couldn't.

"And what about you, man? Anything you have in mind for Tawny?" Twitty asked with a sly grin.

"Uh, I'm still thinking about it," Louis just said. "It's really hard to decide, you know?"

"Well you'd better not take too long… Christmas is just around the corner! And if you need any ideas, I'm your man!" Twitty exclaimed.

* * *

Louis and Tawny sat down for lunch that day. Louis thought again about the thoughts that had returned to his mind that morning. Maybe it would be better to just talk about it with her, he thought to himself. Even if his preoccupations were misguided, he could learn something from what she would tell him. He always turned to her first for advice ever since they had been friends, after all. And he was comfortable with her, knowing that he could be sincere with her and that she would be sincere with him, as she always was.

"Tawny," Louis said. "I've been wrestling with these thoughts lately…" Louis trailed off, thinking he should start over from the beginning. "Tawny, I cherish so much the words you said to me on Thanksgiving night. I'll never forget them." He stopped to take in the radiance in her eyes, which somehow gave him strength to carry on with what he had set out to say. "Yet at the same time, I can't suppress this urge to do something for you this Christmas. In the knowledge that you already have the greatest gift you could have asked for, but just…just something extra. Something that would still mean a lot to you. I somehow feel my Christmas would be incomplete without doing that something."

Tawny gave Louis a smile, a smile that told him he had done the right thing in telling her how he felt. Louis smiled back, waiting for her response. And he knew it would be something powerful and sincere, something that could come only from Tawny.

"Louis, do you know the story of 'The Gift of the Magi?'" Tawny asked.

Louis's smile widened. "No, but I bet you're going to tell me," he responded. There was something magical about Tawny's storytelling, her ability to narrate a story in a way that would connect uncannily with Louis's state of mind – like that time she told him about "The Tell-Tale Heart."

"It's a short story by O. Henry," Tawny began. "It's about two lovers who want so much to do something for each other for Christmas." She looked meaningfully into Louis's eyes. "But they are destitute and have little in the way of material possessions. Della has her beautiful, long hair, which Jim adores so much, and Jim has his treasured family heirloom, a shiny gold watch. On Christmas Eve, Della is so desperate to find a gift for Jim that she sells her hair to a hairdresser and uses the money to buy an expensive watch chain for Jim. Jim comes home that evening to find that Della has sold her hair to buy him the gift, and reveals to her that he sold his watch to buy her a set of expensive hair accessories.

They realize how useless their gifts have become, yet how priceless their love for each other is, so priceless that it doesn't matter how useless their gifts have become. They realize that their ultimate gift to each other is their love for each other."

Tawny smiled at Louis and extended her hand, placing it gently over his. Louis just looked into her eyes with a sense of awe, appreciating the gift of wisdom that she had given him, as she had given him so many times before.

* * *

Louis lay in bed that evening reading O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi." His heart stirred at Jim and Della's love for each other. He thought again about Tawny and the wisdom she had imparted to him. He thought again about the pricelessness of their love for each other and recalled what they had said to each other on Thanksgiving night.

He then took a moment to re-read the last paragraph of the story.

"The magi, as you know, were wise men – wonderfully wise men – who brought gifts to the new-born King of the Jews in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the Magi."

Louis then had an idea. He knew what he was going to do. He knew what he was going to do for Tawny for Christmas.


	3. Chapter 3: The Gift

It was Christmas Eve at Tawny's house. Tawny was about to leave her room to help make dinner when her father appeared at her door, holding something gift-wrapped in his hand. "It's a good thing I decided to look inside our mailbox today, despite it being Christmas Eve," Dr. Dean said. "Somebody left this for you in our mailbox. Should I guess who it was?" he added rhetorically, with a smile. As he was about to leave, he stopped and told her with a meaningful look: "It's okay if you can't help out with dinner, Tawny. Take your time with it."

Tawny could feel her heart racing as she took the object in her hand. It was about the size of a medium-sized book. It just said on the wrapping: "To Tawny."

* * *

There was a knock on Louis's door. It was Ren, holding something gift-wrapped in her hand. An early Christmas gift from Ren, surely not? Louis thought to himself. "I was coming back from my morning jog when I decided to check our mailbox," Ren said. "Somebody left this for you. You know, I thought about hiding it from you, or giving it to you only after Christmas, as a nice Christmas prank," she said, lifting the object tantalizingly beyond Louis's reach. "But I decided not to, as a reward for being such a good boy ever since you got together with Tawny." She now handed it to an impatient Louis, who promptly shut the door behind him.

"To Louis?" He read the strangely familiar handwriting on the package.

* * *

Tawny opened the package, slowly and carefully, to find a videotape inside. A tape just like the one that Louis had sent her, in which he expressed his love for her. Tawny remembered every detail from that unforgettable day like it was yesterday, including the appearance of the tape, its simple design with the labeling sticker on the front. She put on the tape.

Louis appeared on tape, seated in his room. "Tawny, hi," he said, somewhat nervously.

* * *

So many thoughts were crowding into Louis's head as he opened the package. He knew what he was thinking but he somehow tried to convince himself that it wasn't true, just to spare himself the potential disappointment. He found a videotape inside, a tape just like the one that he had snatched by mistake from Tawny's room that one time, only to find that it was her love message to him. He put on the tape.

Tawny appeared on tape, smiling into the camera as she took a seat in her room. "Hi, Louis," she said.

* * *

"Tawny," Louis said on tape. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said to me. About the gift of wisdom that you gave me, as you have given me so many times before. About the wisdom of the Magi and the gifts they gave each other. And I thought again about what we said to each other that night. That we are the greatest gifts to each other.

I thought again about our love for each other. How we feel it every time we talk, hug, or just look into each other's eyes. And then I thought again about all those times we came so close to losing each other. About all those times my foolishness almost ruined our friendship. About the time you almost went to SACCY and the time I almost moved to Washington. The more I thought about it, the more I understood. Every time we managed to find a way back together, we came to appreciate just how much we meant to each other. And when we discovered our love for each other, we knew from the outset how priceless it was, how priceless every word, every smile, every hug, every minute spent together from then on would be. Like a gift, the greatest gift we could give each other. A gift that never stops giving, as long as we're together.

I remember the first time I made you a videotape. I remember the videotape that you made for me and how I felt watching it, realizing that you had the same feelings I had for you. Your beautiful face on that screen, your loving words – it was like they broke right through the screen and filled my entire room. You were there with me that day, close to me, instead of on the other side of the country, as we both thought we would be. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world, like getting a priceless gift. The gift of your love, the gift of knowing that we could actually be with each other now that we loved each other.

You're the greatest gift I could have ever asked for, Tawny. And the only I way I could even come close to repaying it is to never stop giving you the greatest gift that you could have asked for. That's why I'm sending you this tape, so that I can be with you on Christmas Eve. And it's why I'm proposing that we spend Christmas Day together, just the two of us, giving each other the greatest gift of all. I've made sure my parents are okay with me going out. And even if they weren't, I would find a way to sneak out and make my way to you. I always find a way." Louis gave her his trademark grin.

"I love you, Tawny."

Tawny cried. She cried as only Louis's love could make her cry. She cried as she looked deeply into Louis's eyes, feeling his love as intensely as ever, knowing that he was right there with her.

* * *

"Louis," Tawny said on tape. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said to me. About wanting so much to do something special. About Christmas being somehow incomplete without doing that special something. And the more I thought about it, I realized how right you were. I realized how much there is that we could do for each other, as insignificant as it might seem. Because it's something we do every day. And that is being there with each other, for each other.

The more I thought about it, I realized what it is that's so special about our love. So special that we can feel it every time we talk, hug, or just look into each other's eyes. It's a special kind of attachment that could only develop between two lovers who came so close to losing each other, never to see each other again, and only discovered their love for each other as a result. Every word we exchange with each other, every smile, every hug, every minute we spend with each other is like a gift. That's why we ourselves are the ultimate gifts to each other, greater than anything else we could ask for. We are gifts to each other that keep on giving.

I remember the last time I was doing this, making you a videotape. I remember how I felt as I was doing it, thinking that I would never see you again, that it would be the last chance to express how I felt. And I remember how I felt as I watched the tape that you made for me, realizing that you felt the same way. It was like receiving a priceless gift, the gift of your love, the gift of discovering our love for each other not as a parting revelation, but as the promise of tomorrow, a tomorrow in which we would encounter each other again with loving smiles and walk off into the bright future, our hands held.

You're the greatest gift I could have ever asked for, Louis. And the only way of returning the greatest gift I could have asked for is with the greatest gift you could have asked for. That's why I'm sending you this tape as my way of being with you even when we're away from each other. And it's why I'm making a modest proposal to spend Christmas Day together, just the two of us, so that we can keep giving each other the greatest gift of all on the day of giving gifts. My parents are fine with me going out. They understand, even though I didn't explain it to them the way I'm explaining it to you now. I guess being psychologists helps." Tawny gave him one of her magnificent smiles.

"I love you, Louis."

Louis cried. He cried as he could feel Tawny's love piercing his heart and the urge to just bury himself in her loving arms. He cried knowing that she was right there with him, extending her loving embrace through his television screen.


	4. Chapter 4: The Next Day

Tawny's phone rang the next morning, as she had been waiting for it to. She picked up to find a familiar voice at the other end.

"Hey," it just said.

"Hi," she said back.

"So… I saw a tape last night." The unmistakable familiarity of that line wasn't lost on her.

"Yeah, I… I saw a tape, too," Tawny responded.

There was a brief silence. "So…?" Louis kept playing with her, making her chuckle.

More silence. "So, what should we do?" He now left it to Tawny's wisdom to come to the rescue.

Tawny had an idea. "How about we both start walking toward each other's house at 9 and meet in the middle?"

Louis chuckled at the simple ingenuity of Tawny's suggestion. "Sounds like a plan," he just said.

* * *

Louis and Tawny met each other in the middle. They first just stood there looking fondly at each other, stopping to appreciate the gift they had brought for each other, the gift they knew so well and cherished so much. They then embraced each other tightly.

Louis drew back just far enough that he could look into Tawny's eyes. "So, what should we do?" he whispered.

Tawny was looking intently into Louis's eyes. He knew from the look that what was to come would be something powerful and sincere, something that could come only from Tawny.

"It doesn't matter, Louis," she finally said. "What matters is that we're there for each other." She smiled and took Louis's hand in hers. They started walking, though they didn't know where. What they did know was that they were there for each other, and that was all that mattered. The streets were mostly empty, being as it was Christmas morning. Most of Sacramento snuggled warmly at home, exchanging and opening gifts. Louis and Tawny, on the other hand, had an entire day ahead of them to keep giving each other the gift they considered to be the greatest of all.

And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two children in a loving relationship who most unwisely spent their Christmas Day walking around aimlessly in the cold, talking, laughing, hugging, smiling, savoring the priceless gift they had given each other. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the Magi.


End file.
